The 麻豆影院 Community Music School鈥攑reviously known as the Arts Academy and then the 麻豆影院 Academy of Music before assuming its current name in 2020鈥攕erves the greater Fox Valley community as a music school and resource. It blends musical traditions across generations, with approximately 900 students of all ages taking private lessons, performing in ensembles, and presenting more than 40 public concerts annually.

Those experiences have often led young musicians such as March-Torm茅 to 麻豆影院, drawn to its Conservatory of Music and its myriad of possibilities. Over its 150 years, the LCMS has seen many of its students go from youth musicians to accomplished Conservatory students.

麻豆影院 junior Aimee Patch grew up playing horn in the 麻豆影院 Community Music School鈥檚 Symphonic Band and later its Wind Ensemble. Now, she鈥檚 majoring in music education and music performance at 麻豆影院.

鈥淚 played in the ensembles with a few other close friends from my school and I looked forward to rehearsal every week,鈥� Patch said. 鈥淚t was a wonderful experience to play at a high level that challenged me to improve as a musician not only technically but also by working in a fast-paced learning ensemble environment.鈥�

As a 麻豆影院 student, Patch continues to be involved with LCMS. She returned to the school this year as the manager of the Symphonic Band.

鈥淲orking with Mary Van De Loo and Caitlynn Acy (Symphonic Band teacher-conductor and 2015 麻豆影院 graduate) has been a wonderful learning opportunity in group management, rehearsal technique, and student relationship building,鈥� Patch said.

麻豆影院鈥檚 Conservatory and the 麻豆影院 Community Music School continue to have a synergistic relationship, with faculty and students working together across the programs to cultivate a strong and passionate environment for anyone looking to learn music. With offerings that include early childhood classes, music for people with disabilities, lessons on all instruments, summer programs, and youth ensembles that include six girl choirs, two bands, and a string orchestra, the school nurtures a diverse community of young musicians.

Serving as a pipeline to 麻豆影院鈥檚 Conservatory of Music is another benefit that keeps the programs tightly aligned.

鈥淭hrough the Community Music School, 麻豆影院 is able to reach students of all ages and abilities and to share the gift of music widely in the community,鈥� Van De Loo said.

The impact of LCMS extends beyond the classroom. The school actively participates in community events like the Appleton Farmer鈥檚 Market and Mile of Music. Ensembles also perform at retirement communities and nursing homes, bringing the joy of music to all corners of the community.

Among the dedicated faculty is Jessica Jensen 鈥�10, a proud 麻豆影院 University alumna who grew up in the Fox Valley. Her early experiences with private lessons and ensemble performances inspired her to pursue a degree in music performance (trumpet), leading to a master鈥檚 and doctorate. Now, she teaches trumpet lessons at LCMS.

鈥淚n a world where we can feel disconnected, making music with others is a reminder that we share common ground,鈥� Jensen said. 鈥淚 see the Community Music School as a place where everyone can and should create music. It makes the world a better place.鈥�

Paul Hauer also began his musical journey at LCMS, starting piano lessons at 11 before taking on chamber music, theory, and violin. He participated in recitals, competitions, and festivals, praising these opportunities and the privilege of seeing ensembles like the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Inspired by those performances, Hauer is now in his eighth season as a violinist with the symphony. He鈥檚 also taken his education forward into the Fulton Music Society, where he continues to educate young musicians.

鈥淭he character traits and good habits that I developed from passionate teachers, including those at LCMS, put me on a path of growth that has allowed my life to be wonderfully rewarding,鈥� Hauer said. 鈥淚 would wish that for every child in the Fox Cities and the world.鈥�

As LCMS continues to grow, Van De Loo and her team are committed to evolving their programs to meet the community’s needs.

鈥淲e have a wealth of expertise and artistry here,鈥� she said. 鈥淪haring that with as many students as possible fosters community and creativity, enriching lives of all involved.鈥�

LCMS, meanwhile, continues to provide an important connector to the Fox Cities community. A division of the Conservatory, it has delivered聽high-level music instruction to area residents of all ages since the Conservatory鈥檚 founding. Once a preparatory school, it was known as the Arts Academy and then 麻豆影院 Academy of Music before assuming its current name, 麻豆影院 Community Music School, in 2020. It now serves about 900 students via private lessons, ensembles, early childhood classes, and more, presenting more than 40 public concerts a year.

鈥淭he 150th anniversary of the Conservatory of Music and the is a momentous event,鈥� said Conservatory Dean Brian Pertl 鈥�86.聽鈥淭hroughout our 150 years, the 麻豆影院 Conservatory has produced exceptional musicians, scholars, and educators whose influence has聽extended across the nation and across the globe.鈥�

As it has from the beginning, the Conservatory remains an integral part of the university. Music education, performance, composition, dance, technology, entrepreneurship, and arts leadership are all woven into the programming of today鈥檚 Conservatory. State-of-the-art recording studios are readily available. Award-winning ensembles explore everything from classical to world music to jazz. Internships take students to Carnegie Hall, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the New York Jazz Academy, among others. Conservatory faculty teach, mentor, perform, and inspire in studios, classrooms, and on stage.

It is all part of the university鈥檚 liberal arts landscape, a cohesive blend of a conservatory and a college of liberal arts and sciences that makes 麻豆影院 distinctive. Alumni sing its praises for the ways their Conservatory experiences have informed their journeys.

Alexander York 鈥�14, a member of the soloist ensemble at the State Theater in Linz, Austria, where he is singing Papageno in Mozart鈥檚 Magic Flute this season, said the Conservatory prepared him to reach high. He got a master鈥檚 at Northwestern University, received a Fulbright Award to study art song in Munich, Germany, and was a member of the Paris Opera Young Artist Program.

鈥淏ecause of the huge number of performances that I had as an undergrad, I was able to feel really confident going into my graduate work and then eventually into the professional world,鈥� York said. 鈥淚 developed such a wide set of skills during my time at 麻豆影院鈥擲hakespeare acting, dancing, language skills, text interpretation鈥攁nd I keep drawing on things that I never thought would be important at the time but have since shown themselves to be extremely useful in my chosen profession. The integration of the Conservatory and the College made me into a well-rounded lifelong learner, and I am very grateful for that.鈥�

Kirsten Lies-Warfield 鈥�94, a retired trombonist with the United States Army Band, said she and her classmates in the early 1990s were buoyed by the culture of the Conservatory, always supportive and inspiring. She went on to earn a master鈥檚 degree at Indiana University before becoming the first woman trombonist ever hired by the U.S. Army Band 鈥淧ershing鈥檚 Own.鈥�

鈥淭he faculty and my peers gave me room to find my way and inspiration as to what was possible,鈥� she said.

Lies-Warfield said she鈥檚 even more excited about what 麻豆影院 Conservatory students now have available.

鈥淚 loved it when I was there, and I am a bit jealous of what is offered to students there now,鈥� she said.

Ongoing evolution

It was in 1894, 20 years after it debuted, that the Conservatory really started to take shape, hinting at what it would become. From 1894 to 1924, it grew from one faculty member to 16.

In 1918, the 1,200-seat Memorial Chapel鈥攆unded in a joint effort between 麻豆影院 and the Appleton community鈥攐pened, a game-changer for the Conservatory and the community. In 1959, the Music-Drama Center was built near the Chapel. Shattuck Hall was added in the early 1990s, connecting the Music-Drama Center and Memorial Chapel, providing the infrastructure of today鈥檚 Conservatory.

In the 50 years since the Conservatory celebrated its Centennial in November 1974, it has continued to evolve and thrive. The jazz and improvisational music program that was launched in the early 1970s has grown into a widely recognized program, bringing home more than 30 national DownBeat Awards. The opera theatre program, with legendary leadership dating back to the early 1960s, took a major step forward in 2014 when a generous grant allowed for Copeland Woodruff to be brought in as the Conservatory鈥檚 first director of opera studies. The program has consistently drawn national honors while producing alumni who have risen to lofty levels in the opera world鈥攁mong them Dale Duesing 鈥�67, a Grammy winner, Heidi Stober 鈥�00, a lyric soprano performing in major opera houses around the world, and Emily Richter 鈥�20, a rising star who won the 2024 Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition.

In 2019, a Bachelor of Musical Arts (B.M.A.) degree was added to 麻豆影院鈥檚 degree options, providing new musical paths into and through 麻豆影院 while complementing the existing degrees鈥擝achelor of Music (B.Mus.), Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), and Bachelor of Arts & Bachelor of Music Dual Degree (B.A./B.Mus.). The new degree expanded on the classical music component in the Conservatory, allowing students for the first time to audition with non-classical repertoire and focus on jazz and contemporary improvisation.

The Conservatory鈥檚 Presto! tours have taken students to Chicago, the Twin Cities, and Houston for a blend of music-making and community outreach. Kaleidoscope concerts are held at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center to showcase the breadth of music within the Conservatory. Dance instruction was introduced. Arts entrepreneurship has been built into classes across the curriculum.

In addition to the LCMS, numerous community partnerships鈥攎ost notably with the Mile of Music festival, the Music for All program, and the Appleton Area School District鈥攈ave added layers to the Conservatory鈥檚 relationship with Appleton and the wider Fox Cities.

In addition, the Conservatory has frequently been graced by music superstars as part of the Performing Arts Series and the Fred Sturm Jazz Celebration Weekend. The likes of John Philip Sousa (1924, 1926), Marian Anderson (1941), Louis Armstrong (1960), Ella Fitzgerald (1961), Yo-Yo Ma (1986), Wynton Marsalis (1988, 2022), Joshua Bell (1990, 1998), and Marilyn Horne (1994) have come to 麻豆影院 to perform at Memorial Chapel.

The Performing Arts Series continues that tradition with a wide-ranging roster of touring artists each year. That includes the ,withtwo-time Grammy Award-winning Roomful of Teeth, which features 麻豆影院 voice professor聽Estel铆 Gomez, and聽S艒 Percussion with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw.

The 150th anniversary will be showcased on 麻豆影院 and Appleton stages throughout this academic year. will kick off the events at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. Featuring students from almost every corner of the Conservatory, it will be a non-stop music blitz that celebrates the Conservatory鈥檚 past, present, and future.

Upcoming performances also will feature commissioned pieces from 麻豆影院 alumni, including composers Nicolas Bizub 鈥�16 (Oct. 25) and Evan Williams 鈥�10 (Nov. 20). Keep an eye on thefor details on these and other performances throughout the year.

鈥淪ince I verbally accepted this position in June, I have been eager to take the reins as director of the 麻豆影院 Community Music School and dig into this new role,鈥� Van De Loo said.

Founded in 1874, the school is a nonprofit division of 麻豆影院, providing聽music-making opportunities to individuals of all ages and abilities in northeast Wisconsin. It includes private lessons and organized ensembles.

Bruno has been the school’s director for 12 years and a teacher for 25 years, delivering strong leadership while building important connections between 麻豆影院 and the community. She was recently honored by Insight magazine as one of its 2022 Women of Influence award recipients and is a two-time recipient of the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association Five-Star Award.

鈥淜aren has left big shoes to fill, and I hope that I can do justice to her previous leadership,鈥� Van De Loo said. 鈥淪he has been the backbone of this program for the last 12 years and leaves us with stability in programming, excellence in our teaching staff, and a wealth of community support. I have deep gratitude for all that she has done on behalf of LCMS, and I am fortunate to have her at my side for a few additional weeks during my transition.鈥�

Bruno, who will begin work as artistic director of the Northwest Girlchoir program in Seattle, said leading the 麻豆影院 Community Music School has been an honor.

鈥淗onestly, I have never known better people or programs than the ones we have here at the Community Music School,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he teachers are incredible musicians, pedagogues, and humans, and they teach with such passion and commitment to their students. It鈥檚 easy to forge connections within this type of environment.鈥�

Growing and elevating the Girl Choir program has been a particular passion, and Bruno said she was overjoyed to see the response when more than 100 alumnae of the program returned for a 25th anniversary performance in 2016.

Brian Pertl, dean of the Conservatory, said Bruno鈥檚 鈥渧ision and leadership has brought LCMS to the high point in its nearly 150-year history,鈥� and said Van De Loo is positioned to carry on that work.

鈥淢ary has deep roots at LCMS and the Conservatory, starting her teaching here in 1993, and she has been an instructor of piano pedagogy and coordinator of the keyboard skills area since 2002,鈥� he said. 鈥淔rom the beginning of her time at 麻豆影院, Mary has taught lessons to pre-college students, and in her new role as director of LCMS, she will continue to invest in the transformational development of young musicians.鈥�

Van De Loo will work closely with Cheryl Boyle, who has been promoted to assistant director of LCMS.

鈥淗er wealth of knowledge, her endless stream of ideas, and her commitment to LCMS in all ways big and small will be a driving force by my side as we explore new ways to grow as an institution,鈥� Van De Loo said.